Stephanie Dooris with her two dogs, Benji and Alfie, at Magho Viewpoint on the day her car was broken into and that her labrador Alfie went missing
A LOCAL COUPLE who had their car broken into, while parked at a popular Fermanagh viewpoint, have found their beloved dog, who spent a night alone at the peak in freezing conditions.
Stephanie and Niall Dooris parked their jeep at the bottom of Magho Viewpoint on Sunday afternoon around a quarter past three and made the ascent with their two dogs Benji and Alfie. When they returned around two hours later the passenger window was smashed, with Stephanie’s handbag stolen and Alfie lost somewhere at the top.
Stephanie explained more:
“We went right up to the top, it was a beautiful day, with our two dogs and there were quite a few people about as well so I thought it would be OK. Unfortunately one of our dogs went missing and we took a long time before getting back to the jeep as we were walking up and down through forest calling him.”
Returning down from the viewpoint through the woods and along the road the pair come across a white Audi, they believe to be linked to the theft.
“Niall said he had heard a bang, but there’s public toilets there and he thought it was the doors closing on the toilets. A white Audi headed down the road past him as we were walking along the road and Niall went to wave at him because he was going to try and slow him down and ask if he had seen a black Labrador, but the boy put his head down and drove on, which was very suspicious so we think we just missed him.”
She continued:
“It’s very annoying, I think the police should be doing more to be honest, there were three break-ins on Sunday alone. This is happening every weekend. It’s going to really affect tourism if word gets about you can’t even walk without having your car broken into.”
While Stephanie was disappointed at her handbag being stolen, which contained keys to her other car, her purse, money, jewellery and her work phone the loss of her beloved dog would have been ‘devastating’. Thankfully the following morning the dog was recovered amidst a foot of snow.
“We think he slid down the ledge at the top and he couldn’t get back up. We called and called and called him for so long and came back the next morning in the snow and went right back to the same spot and I leaned out, I sat down in the snow and the next thing his head popped up so I grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up. I’ve never been happier to see him.”
The Enniskillen woman urged others to learn from their example and be vigilant of thieves around the county.
“Don’t bring valuables with you in the car if you know you’re going for a walk. The thing that worries me now is my address was on my driving licence and they have my house keys and my car keys.”
The theft at Magho was just one of a number over the weekend. Other vehicles parked at Florence Court and Castle Caldwell on Sunday evening were also targeted and police have made an appeal for information.
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